Here's the detailed answer to something that's been bothering not only me for the last twenty seven years, but also David who said recently "for all I know it could say 'Get your potatoes here'." Although I can't imagine David not asking Kansai Yamamoto at the time what it meant.... so take it as David mentioning this question with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

Look at the lettering on the photograph. Each Chinese letter has the sound of de, bi, do, bou and i and translate as the following: The first letter is read da (/de/), and means 'taking something out'. The second one is read vi (/bi/), and means 'fire'. The third one is read d (/do/), and means 'vomiting'. The fourth one is read bow (/bou/), and means 'violence'. The last one is read ie (/i/), and means 'threatening'. Which reads as: "The man who vomits and fires out provocative words threatening violently".

Bob Solly from The Manish Boys confirms that the band made unreleased recordings for producers Mickie Most, Decca Records (4 tracks) and Joe Meek before producer Shel Talmy took the helm in 1965....

Session guitar player Jimmy Page who played lead guitar on The Manish Boys 'I Pity The Fool' track in 1965 told the band that he had just bought a 'fuzz box' which he used on the recording. It is believed that this was the first song ever released in Britain that featured the fuzz box effect....

When David was recording in Studio A North at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, PA, USA for what eventually became his 'Young Americans' album - the songs he recorded on 13th August 1974 (before Tony Visconti was drafted in the next day) were 'Young American', 'Shilling The Rubes', 'Lazer', 'After Today', plus three other songs. David was producing, Carl Paruolo was the mixer and Michael R. Hutchinson was the engineer....

The very first promotional film shot by Mick Rock was Moonage Daydream shot on a Bowlex 16mm camera. It's a collage of live footage from the first Ziggy Stardust UK Tour leg in April 1972. Hopefully this promotional film will be included as part of the Ziggy 2002 DVD planned release....

Contrary to popular belief and also written in several books... David was NOT a member of the Bromley Technical High School band George and The Dragons. The band members were: George Underwood, Peter Doughty, Ian Hosie and Del Taylor. They performed one show at the annual summer school show featuring the songs: 'Twisting The Night Away', 'Frightened Lady' and 'Perfidia'....

In 1993 Morrissey is rumoured to have co-written a song with Alain Whyte entitled 'In Control Of Dame Dominance' which is all about David Bowie. It remains unheard and unreleased.

On the 28th December 1972, a 14-year-old boy called Stephen Morrissey, went to see David Bowie at the Hardrock Theatre on Greatstone Road, Stretford in Manchester. He wrapped up a two-pence coin in a piece of paper with his phone number written on it and pushed it through the narrow window gap of David's Daimler motor vehicle....

Long time friend George Underwood recorded under the name of Calvin James. His first single release on 15th April 1965 was entitled 'Some Things You Never Get Used To' / (B-side) 'Remember' on the Columbia record label, catalogue number Columbia DB7516....

The singers listed on the Labyrinth soundtrack on the track 'Chilly Down' are Kevin Clash, Charles Augins, Richard Bodkin and Danny John-Jules, who stars in the British comedy space spoof Red Dwarf as 'Cat'. Kevin Clash who is the character voice of 'Elmo' in the American childrens' programme Sesame Street.... The baby gurgling noises heard on 'Magic Dance' are actually supplied by David himself.... The amazing glass ball juggling performed by Jareth in the movie were actually done by Michael Mochen....

'Limey Kid Digs Yank Football' was one of the headings in several US and British newspapers back in 1962. David had written to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square asking for information about American Football. He was surprisingly invited down to the Embassy, fully kitted out and a staff photographer took some promotional photographs that were distributed amongst the press....

It is fairly common knowledge that David got up on stage with Mott The Hoople at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, USA in 1972 for a version of All The Young Dudes - but did you know he did the exact same thing in Guildford, Surrey, England that same year?....

In 1972, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars was released on the 6th June coincidentally the same date as David's and Iman wedding blessing in Florence, Italy in 1992.... Their registry wedding was on April 24th 1992....

There has been numerous opinions to where David's company Isolar got its name from and to its meaning? Well according to David aka Sailor, (which incidentally is an anagram of Isolar), "Isolar = Isola is Italian for island. Isolation plus Solar all equals Isolar. If I remember correctly. I was stoned!"....

The photograph taken for the cover of the album Pinups featuring Twiggy (real name Leslie Hornby) and David was originally intended to be for the front cover of fashion magazine Vogue. When they sent photographer Justin De Villeneuve (real name Nigel Davies) to photograph Ziggy and Twiggy she was tanned and David was his then usual pallid self, so the make-up artist gave them both masks. David liked the photograph and asked to use it for his next album instead. Told that Vogue would sell 80,000 copies and the album about a million, De Villeneuve sensibly agreed....

The cans used to package 'You Belong In Rock 'N' Roll' by Tin Machine were actually purchased from the U.S. Navy in California. They were originally used as containers for computer components....

When David played John Merrick in 'The Elephant Man' on Broadway in New York one particular scene required him to be in a bath. The highlight of the evening, and to the amusement of the other actors and stage crew would be to watch David trying not to crack up laughing when bathing because they had placed various items inside it, such as dildo's and pornographic magazines....

David once belonged to the 'Dulwich Bluejays' Baseball team during the school summer holidays of 1962.... 'Beckenham Bluejays' might sound better but it's the wrong name....

Bowie has Garwood in-ear. No it's not an ear infection! He uses Garwood in-ear monitoring for himself and the band. With all members of the eight-piece band using Garwood Radio Stations, there are no floor monitors at all. Monitor engineer Mike Prowda: "David has used the Garwood in-ear monitor in the past and it has always been his preference to wear just one earpiece. He likes the open ambient feel on one side and a full mix with a tiny bit of reverb in just one ear.".... Click to see....

Did you know that there is a version of 'It's Gonna Be Me' with a full string section produced by Tony Visconti that has never been released.... (Update: Now officially released)

The photograph that appears on the front cover of Iggy Pop's 'The Idiot' album was taken by Andy Kent and not by David. The pose was inspired from the Erich Heckel painting entitled 'Roquairol'....

David Bowie's famous 'Major Tom' silver suit which he wore in the 'Love You Till Tuesday' film was purchased from Dandie Fashions at 161 Kings Road, Chelsea, London....

On May 16th 1966, an old Morris Vehicle Ambulance was purchased for The Lower Third from Middlesex County Council for £125. The registration number was WMX 215....

'Jetsun And The Eagle' was the title of the mime piece David performed to the backing of 'Silly Boy Blue' during the T. Rex tour in 1969. Several people over the years have wrongly named it as 'Yet-San And The Eagle'.

Jetsun Milarepa is one of Tibet's most famous yogis and poets. He is a major figure in the history of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. His writings, often referred to as the Songs of Milarepa, are canonical Mahayana Buddhist texts.

David's mime was based around the story that in approximately the year 1060 Milarepa sought vengeance on unscrupulous relatives for mistreating his mother and sister. Having been trained in sorcery, he commanded a rain of scorpions, snakes, and lizards to attack the villains. But when his teacher rebuked him for his evil deeds, Milarepa turned his back on black magic in order to seek mystic truth. He retreated to a cave where, after years of intense meditation, he acquired the power to change his body into any shape and fly across the sky like a bird. But most important, he achieved the greatest victory of all: mastery over his own self....

Tin Machine II album cover - Greek statues. - Colossal Kouros, from Sounion c. 615-590 BC, in the National Museum, Athens, Greece. Meaning: The tendency was toward generalisation and the expression of a type rather than an individual.... Coincidently there was a limited edition of one thousand statuettes produced to promote the Tin Machine II album, all the figures sent over by cargo to the UK from the States were broken during transit....

Dana Gillespie (aka Dana Richenda Antoinette de Winterstein Gillespie) was British Junior Water Skiing Champion in 1962, aged thirteen, for four years running....

Jimi Hendrix's vintage Epiphone FT79 acoustic guitar (serial #62262) built in New York 1951 (which was used for almost everything he composed in the UK) was bought secondhand for around $25 in New York during his first tour of the United States. He used this for around three years before giving it to Alan Parker in March 1970. It was then subsequently used on numerous recordings, one of which was David Bowie's Diamond Dogs album....

The 1966 movie A Tale Of Two Streets directed by Ken Ashton for ATV and starring Neil Christian (aka Christopher Tidmarsh) told the story of the contemporary fashion business of Carnaby Street compared with the traditions of Savile Row. The jacket that Neil wore was designed by David Bowie....

David Bowie's Indonesian version of 'Don't Let Me Down and Down' is entitled Jangan Susahkan Hatiku... which directly translates as 'Don't Trouble My Heart'....

Although uncredited, David allegedly wrote the song 'Wagon Wheel' that appeared on Lou Reed's 'Transformer' album, although Lou Reed is legally listed as the songwriter/composer....

The very first recording appearance of Mick Ronson with David Bowie was during the mixing of The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud in which Mick played a small lead guitar part and supplied handclaps during the middle section of the song....

In the Seventies, Spiders From Mars bass guitarist Trevor Bolder's brother Ian used to play rhythm guitar in a band called Reneé....

David wrote seven pieces of music written for a film entitled 'A Floral Tale'. The film was never made and the owner Michael Armstrong is still holding on to them....

Tony Hatch who produced several of David's early songs intended to collaborate with him on a musicial entitled 'Kids On The Roof' which was along with lines of Lionel's Bart's 'Oliver'. This never materalised but apparently a number of ideas led to a planned television series called 'Peacock's Farm' which concerned the adventurers of a young man who ran a fashionable boutique. Once again this project came to nothing, but these ideas surfaced later on David's first album 'David Bowie' in 1967....

David's Christmas present from Iman in 1996 were hand embroidered slippers complete with DB initials and frogs on them....

'Jangan Susahkan Hatiku' is title of 'Don't Bring Me Down And Down' sung in Indonesian, which was featured as a bonus track on the Indonesian CD version of the 'Black Tie White Noise' album....

There were two versions of 'The Buddha Of Suburbia' promo video shot in St. Matthew's Drive, Bromley, one featuring David 'smoking' and the other 'not smoking'....

David dropped the song 'Five Years' from his 'Live Aid' set in favour of showing the BBC Ethiopia news film, during this broadcast more money was donated than at any other part of the Live Aid performance....

David's favourite Elvis Presley song is 'Feel So Bad'....

David's famous one-liner "Wham Bam Thank You M'am" was copped from the Charlie Mingus album "Oh Yea"....

Janine Allis founder and managing director of 'Boost Juice' bars used to be head stewardess on David Bowie's 125m yacht in the Mediterranean for two years....

David's telephone number when he lived at 4 Plaistow Grove, Bromley was (Ravensbourne) 460 6489....

Zulekha, Iman's daughter means 'intelligent' in Arabic....

MUSICAL SNIPPETS

Roger Ferris, who was singer with The Konrads, wrote the saucy lyrics to the theme tune to the first 'On The Buses' comedy film....

David wrote the soundtrack to BBC2's series "A History Of British Art" which first aired on 21st April 1996. This six-part series documentary was written and narrated by Andrew Graham-Dixon....

The middle section of 'Move On' on the Lodger album is 'All The Young Dudes' played backwards....

David appears on Ron Wood's album 'I've Got My Own Album To Do'....

'Drink To Me' and 'Moving On' are two unreleased songs that David recorded with Iggy Pop in May 1975 at Oz Studios, Hollywood, USA.... David also appears on the backing track for 'Play It Safe' which was recorded in May 1979 at Rockfield Recording Studios in Wales....

David appears, albeit uncredited, on The Rolling Stones album 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll'....

In 1979 song entitled 'Let's Dance' was released by an American duo called 'Bombers'....

In total, the 7" single release of 'Space Oddity' took 6 years and 63 days to eventually reach the No. 1 spot....

There are two unreleased songs that David made with John Cale on the 15th October 1979 at The Ciarbis Studios in New York entitled 'Velvet Couch' and 'Pianola'....

On 5th June 1964 the New Musical Express report that a group which was to have been named Tom Jones and The Jonahs emerges on Decca's Vocalion label next week as Davie Jones with The King-Bees with their debut single 'Liza Jane / Louie Louie Go Home'....

Amazingly in July 1983 David had 10 albums in the UK Top 100 Chart at the same time....

The promo only released 'Cool Cat' was another song David recorded with Queen in 1981....

'Toll The Bell' was the original working title of 'I Have Not Been To Oxford Town'.... An ambient instrumental piece by Reeves Gabrels entitled 'Moondust' eventually became 'Hallo Spaceboy'.... 'Brussels' was the blueprint piece which developed into 'Seven Years In Tibet' complete with a guitar lift by Reeves Gabrels taken from 'Albatross' by Fleetwood Mac....

David has always stated that he NEVER recorded the vocals for 'Penny Lane' (The Beatles) and 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You' (The Monkees) that both appear on the Hits '67 cover versions buget album issued on the Music For Pleasure label the rumour still persists. The actual session vocalist who performed these songs was Tony Steven, formerly with The Johnny Howard Band....

Another band named The Buzz hailing from Scotland are a totally different group that recorded 'You're Holding Me Down' backed by 'I've Gotta Buzz' in 1966. This band is nothing whatsoever to do with David Bowie's backing band...

The USA release of David's second album 'David Bowie' is mistakenly known as 'Man Of Words/Man Of Music' around the world. This is incorrect. The album title is 'David Bowie', the same as everywhere else.

The credits on the Low album include 'backing vocals by Peter and Paul' who are in fact Brian Eno and Mary Hopkin....

Tintoretto Entertainment Company: Ever wondered why David called his entertainment company 'Tintoretto'?.... Jacopop Robusti, Italian painter, the leading representative of Venetian Mannerism. The son of a dyer (hence his nickname), he never left Venice in the course of his long life.... "He was the embodiment of the city's cultural energies and extended its artistic horizons far beyond the limits of reality and the probable"....

The bootleg live recording of The Beatles' 'This Boy' in circulation from David's performance from The Friars Club, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire on 18th July 1972 is in fact taken from a later performance from the Bristol Locarno Centre, (Electric Village) on 27th August 1972. Did you know that during that particular Bristol gig they handed out folding wooden seats to the audience as they went inside....

David says that he really likes Minotaure by Paloma Picasso. He says it's quite hard to find so he stocks up when he is in France. He also likes anything by Guerlain.

Minotaure was introduced in 1992 and is recommended for daytime wear. The blurb says: A slight spice combined with a hint of musk. This dashing cologne is powerful, yet subtle and sexy. Minotaure compliments the three piece suit as well as evening attire.

Besides appearing in the Lyons Maid Luv ice-cream lolly TV commercial, David also appeared as a member of the band singing "Luv, Luv, Luv". The commercial was shot at 7 Eccleston Square in London on 22nd January 1969. The director of this commercial Ridley Scott is the older brother of Tony Scott who directed David in the feature film 'The Hunger'.

The band who recorded the track were called Mint. The song 'Luv' was written by Alan Hawkshaw and Ray Cameron, the single 'Luv / Simone' was released on the Tangerine label (Tangerine DP 0014) in 1969.

Coincidentially Alan Hawkshaw performed on keyboards for David on the BBC Session in 1968 for John Peel In Top Gear. Recorded and broadcast in May 1968.

The ice-lolly was launched in England on May 12th 1969. Luv was a lolly similar to Fab aimed at girls aged 10-15 years old. Three quarters covered in chocolate and hundreds and thousands and costing 9d. The product was backed by TV advertising and opportunity to collect a set of picture pop stars. additionally there was a range of other promotional material such as wall charts and T-shirts.

About 60 per cent of Lyons Maid production of ice cream was produced at Bridge Park. They handled just about every variety in the Lyons Maid range and many well-known lines were made exclusively there, for example Luv, Zoom, Orbit and Super Sea Jet lollies....

These are all genuine books written by David R. Jones: Obviously not the David Jones we know, but some strange and coincidental titles appear to crop up: Diseases of Banana, Platain, Abaca and Enset.... The Origins of Civic Universities.... Racism as a Factor in the 1989 Gubernatorial Election of Doug Wilder....

Grand Valley Radio Station WSRX 88.5 FM went live on air on October 15th 1974 at 5:00pm. DJ Bruce Donahue manned the microphone for the first two hours of broadcast. The first song ever aired by the DJs on WSRX was Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie...

On David Bowie's 1973 Tour, the two large white discs with the Aladdin Sane lightning bolts were painted by Chris Difford, (who later formed UK band Squeeze). Chris was a mate of Will Palin. Chris says: "I met David Bowie while I was a roadie for him, although I use the word roadie loosely. A friend of mine was his tour manager, and I tagged along and helped paint things for the set and fetched wood from the yard. I was more of a gofer. David was wonderful to be around, like someone from Mars."...